By Joyce Mukucha
Workers for Harare City Council are threatening to down tools if the failure by Council to pay their wages on time persists.
They have given the city council a two-week ultimatum to pay outstanding salaries and bonuses stating that failure to do so will force them to take industrial action.
In an interview with Zimpapers Radio News in Harare on Wednesday, Harare Municipal Workers’ Union (HMWU) Executive Chairman Cosmas Bungu said since last year workers did not receive their salaries.
“I want to advise that the city employees have been seriously compromised in terms of their rights to fair labour standards as enshrined in Section 65 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. The employees did not get their bonuses. They did not get their December salary and up to now the December and January salaries have not been paid,” said Bungu.
Bungu also highlighted that Harare City Council ought to prioritise residents in the refuse collection by appointing a director so as not to compromise residents over the refuse collection.
“There is also the issue of waste management department where we are having problems in terms of refuse collection and how we manage our refuse which actually exposes the nation and residents to diseases.
“It is an urgent matter where a substantive director has to be appointed in the waste management department in order to rescucitate that critical essential service delivery.”
Concerning the issue that some city council employees were not committing to working because they did not have personal protective equipment (PPE), Harare City Council Spokesperson Michael Chideme said all the protective clothing that workers have been requesting is now available.
“All the protective clothing that the employees were demanding has been provided but we still encourage our residents and all our customers to pay up their bills so that the city does not find itself in this position where it cannot afford to provide protective clothing and services to the people,” said Chideme.